IGN: Top Ten Atari 2600 Games from Activision

"Activision is the first third-party publisher in videogames. In 1979, after seeing Atari take all credit and all proceeds for games released on the Atari 2600, a few key developers broke off to start their own publisher -- one where the developer would get plenty of credit for their hard work. The result was a series of best-sellers that enthralled 2600 gamers. Activision's game had a reputation for great production values. Plus, Activision courted gamer participation by offering special patches to players that reached score thresholds. Take a photo of your TV with the score on display, send it in, and several weeks later, you'd have a pretty cool patch to prove your gaming prowess".